Techniques to engineer nanoscale patterned features using ions

ABSTRACT

A method of patterning a substrate. The method may include providing a surface feature on the substrate, the surface feature having a first dimension along a first direction within a substrate plane, and a second dimension along a second direction within the substrate plane, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; and directing first ions in a first exposure to the surface feature along the first direction at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane, in a presence of a reactive ambient containing a reactive species; wherein the first exposure etches the surface feature along the first direction, wherein after the directing, the surface feature retains the second dimension along the second direction, and wherein the surface feature has a third dimension along the first direction different than the first dimension.

This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit ofpriority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/749,822, filed Jun. 25,2015, entitled “Techniques to Engineer Nanoscale Patterned FeaturesUsing Ions,” which application is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

FIELD

The present embodiments relate to transistor processing techniques, andmore particularly, to processing for three dimensional device formation.

BACKGROUND

As semiconductor devices continue to scale to smaller dimensions, theability to pattern features becomes increasingly difficult. Thesedifficulties include, in one aspect, the ability to obtain features at atarget size for a given technology generation. Another difficulty is theability to obtain the correct shape of a patterned feature, as well aspacking density, and the ability to obtain correct overlay to structurespatterned in previous processing operations.

In another example, overlay error represents a challenge to extendlithography to advanced nodes. While multi-patterning has been used toaddress line width and line pitch reduction of features, overlay becomesan increasing challenge. One reason is as the feature line/space isreduced, the overlay requirement becomes smaller. A second reason is asmultiple cut masks are coming into use, multiple overlay issues betweencut masks and the other features on a substrate arise.

With respect to these and other considerations, the present improvementsmay be useful.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form further described below in the Detailed Description.This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essentialfeatures of the claimed subject matter, nor is the summary intended asan aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one embodiment, a method of patterning a substrate may includeproviding a surface feature on the substrate, the surface feature havinga first dimension along a first direction within a substrate plane, anda second dimension along a second direction within the substrate plane,wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction;and directing first ions in a first exposure to the surface featurealong the first direction at a non-zero angle of incidence with respectto a perpendicular to the substrate plane, in a presence of a reactiveambient containing a reactive species; wherein the first exposure etchesthe surface feature along the first direction, wherein after thedirecting, the surface feature retains the second dimension along thesecond direction, and wherein the surface feature has a third dimensionalong the first direction different than the first dimension.

In another embodiment, a method of patterning a substrate may includeproviding a layer on the substrate having at least one hole; anddirecting first ions in a first exposure to the layer along a firstdirection at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to aperpendicular to a substrate plane, in a presence of a reactive ambientcontaining a reactive species, wherein the first exposure increases afirst hole dimension of the hole along the first direction using thefirst ions and reactive ambient, while not increasing a second holedimension of the hole along a second direction perpendicular to thefirst direction.

In another embodiment, a method of patterning a substrate may includedetermining a threshold spacing between adjacent mask features for alithography process; providing a layer on the substrate; forming a firstset of holes using a first lithography mask having spacings betweenadjacent features no less than the threshold spacing; and directingfirst ions in a first exposure to the layer along a first direction at anon-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to asubstrate plane, in a presence of a reactive ambient containing areactive species, wherein at least two holes of the first set of holesare characterized by a final hole separation along the first directionless than the threshold separation after the first exposure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts a side view of processing of a device structureaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 1B depicts a side view after processing of the device structureaccording to the scenario of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C depicts a top plan view of the scenario of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D depicts a top plan view of the scenario of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 2A depicts a side view of processing of a device structureaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2B illustrates a side view after processing of the device structureaccording to the scenario of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C depicts a top plan view of the scenario of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D depicts a top plan view of the scenario of FIG. 2B;

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D illustrate another example of one dimensionalreactive ion etching according to further embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B illustrate another example of one dimensionalreactive ion etching according to further embodiments of the disclosure;

FIGS. 5A to 5D depict another embodiment where one dimensional reactiveion etching may be used to generate an array of holes;

FIG. 6 illustrates a contact structure formed using one dimensionalreactive ion etching according to further embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B depict a further embodiment of the disclosure whereone dimensional reactive ion etching is applied to a memory structure;

FIG. 8A illustrates a target device arrangement, shown in plan view;

FIG. 8B illustrates a mask arrangement;

FIG. 8C shows another mask arrangement;

FIG. 8D shows an exemplary trench arrangement;

FIG. 9A depicts a top plan view of an array of lines before processing;

FIG. 9B depicts a top plan view of the array of lines of FIG. 9A afterone dimensional reactive ion etching according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9C depicts a top plan view of the array of lines of FIG. 9A afterone dimensional reactive ion etching according to another embodiment;and

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary process flow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, where some embodiments areshown. The subject matter of the present disclosure may be embodied inmany different forms and are not to be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. In thedrawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

This present embodiments provide novel techniques to pattern substratesand in particular novel techniques to etch a feature disposed on asubstrate such as a surface feature. As used herein the term “substrate”may refer to an entity such as a semiconductor wafer, insulating wafer,ceramic, as well as any layers or structures disposed thereon. As such,a surface feature, layer, series of layers, or other entity may bedeemed to be disposed on a substrate, where the substrate may representa combination of structures, such as a silicon wafer, oxide layer, andso forth.

In various embodiments, the surface feature may be used for patterning alayer disposed underneath the surface feature. Examples of a surfacefeature include a hole formed within a layer, such as a via, or trench.In other examples, a surface feature may be a pillar, a line structure(line), or other feature extending above a substrate. The term “hole”may refer to a structure extending through the entirety of a layer, suchas a via. The term “hole” may also refer to a structure such as adepression or recess formed within a layer not extending through theentirety of the thickness of a layer. Moreover, the term “layer” as usedherein may refer to a continuous layer, a semicontinuous layer havingblanket regions and regions of isolated features, or a group of isolatedfeatures generally composed of the same material and disposed on acommon layer or substrate.

In various embodiments, techniques are provided to modify a surfacefeature or surface features after lithography processing is performed toform the surface feature(s). This post-lithography processing mayovercome shortfalls of known lithography, especially at the nanometerscale, such as for features having minimum dimensions in the range of 2nm to 100 nm.

In accordance with various embodiments, ions are directed to a layeralong a first direction or target direction. The target direction of theions may be designed to direct the ions to a given surface of a surfacefeature so as to etch the given surface while not etching othersurfaces.

FIG. 1A depicts a side view of processing of a device structure 100according to various embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 1C depicts atop plan view of the scenario of FIG. 1A. The device structure 100 mayinclude a first layer 102, second layer 104, third layer 106, and fourthlayer 106. These layers may be disposed on a substrate 150. The fourthlayer 106 may include a hole 110, where the hole 110 may extend throughthe entirety of the fourth layer 106. The hole 110 may be formed in thefourth layer 106 using a known lithography technique. The hole 110 maybe used to pattern at least one additional layer disposed underneath thefourth layer 106, such as first layer 102, second layer 104, or thirdlayer 106. Examples of fourth layer 106 include photoresist,antireflective coating layer (ARC), silicon nitride, silicon oxide,silicon or other layer. Examples of third layer 106, second layer 104,or first layer 102 include antireflective coating layer (ARC), siliconnitride, silicon oxide, silicon, carbon, photoresist, or TiN. Theembodiments are not limited in this context. In particular, an ARC layeror coating may include a mixture of one or more of: carbon, silicon,nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen.

In order to pattern an underlying layer, the hole 110 may be providedwith suitable dimensions, including a first dimension along a firstdirection, such as a direction along the Y-axis of the Cartesiancoordinate system shown. The hole 110 may also have a second dimensionalong a second direction, such as along the X-axis. In some instances,increasing the dimension of the hole 110 selectively along a firstdirection and not along a second direction perpendicular to the firstdirection may be useful. In the example of FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C the hole110 may have a rectangular shape within the X-Y plane, representing aplane parallel to a substrate plane 118.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C illustrate an exemplary method for increasing afirst hole dimension of the hole 110 along the direction parallel to theY-axis. In particular, as shown in FIG. 1C, ions 112 are directed to thefourth layer 106 along the first direction, i.e., along a directionparallel to the Y-axis. As shown in FIG. 1A, the ions 112 are alsodirected along trajectories forming a non-zero angle of incidence, shownas the angle θ, with respect to the substrate plane 118. Thesetrajectories allow the ions 112 to strike the sidewall 114 while notstriking the sidewalls 116, where the sidewalls 116 may extend parallelto the Y-Z plane. As a result, material from the sidewall 114 may beetched while material from the sidewalls 116 is not etched.

FIG. 1B depicts a side view after processing of the device structure 100according to the scenario of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1D depicts a top plan view ofthe scenario of FIG. 1B. As illustrated, along the first direction(parallel to the Y-axis) the hole 110 has a third hole dimension greaterthan the first hole dimension, while the second hole dimension along thesecond direction (parallel to the X-axis) remains unchanged.Accordingly, the size of the hole 110 may be extended selectively justalong the Y-axis and not along the X-axis.

In accordance with various embodiments, the ions 112 may be directed tothe fourth layer 106 in the presence of a reactive ambient containing areactive species, shown as the reactive species 122, as illustrated bythe black dots. The ions 112 and reactive species 122 may be provided bya suitable apparatus capable of providing reactive species as well as abeam of ions. Examples of such apparatus include plasma based apparatushaving an extraction system extracting ions through an extractionaperture and directs the ions to a substrate. FIG. 1A illustrates anexample of an extraction plate 130 including an extraction aperture 132for extracting the ions 112 from a plasma 134 and directing the ions 112to the fourth layer 106. The angle of incidence of the ions 112 withrespect to the perpendicular 120 may be controlled by controllingparameters of a plasma system as is known, including plasma power, gaspressure, aperture size, and displacement between different portions ofthe extraction plate, among other factors. In some examples ions may beextracted having trajectories parallel to one another or differ amongthemselves by +/−5 degrees. This allows the ions 112 to be directed as aparallel beam of ions along a target direction.

FIG. 1C illustrates a variant of the extraction plate 130 where theextraction aperture 132 is elongated along the second direction parallelto the X-axis, meaning the dimension of the extraction aperture 132along the X-axis is larger than the dimension of the extraction aperture132 along the Y-axis. In some examples, the dimension of the extractionaperture 132 along the X-axis may be greater than 100 mm, while thedimension of the extraction aperture 132 along the Y-axis is less than30 mm. The embodiments are not limited in this context. The ions 112 mayaccordingly form a ribbon beam having a high degree of uniformity alongthe X-axis, where the trajectories of ions 112 have a high degree ofalignment along the Y-axis as shown. In other words, the ions 112 mayform a ribbon beam having a short axis parallel to a first direction(Y-axis) and a long axis parallel to a second direction (X-axis), wherethe second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

Additionally, reactive species 122 may be provided as neutrals, ions,radicals, or a combination of neutrals, ions, and radicals. Ions 112themselves may be inert ions or may include reactive species. Thecombination of ions 112 and reactive species 122 may include knownrecipes for performing reactive ion etching of materials includingsilicon oxide layers, silicon nitride layers, silicon layers, carbonlayers, and other materials systems. The embodiments are not limited inthis context.

When ions 112 are used in conjunction with reactive species 122, wherethe reactive species are designed to promote reactive ion etching, thisconfiguration enables a novel “one dimensional reactive ion etching”process where reactive ion etching can be restricted to targetedfeatures on a substrate surface while not affecting other features. Theone dimensional reactive ion etching may differ from conventionalreactive ion etching where ions directed may etch material along thevertical direction as well as along more than one direction within aplane of the substrate perpendicular to the vertical direction. Forexample, in conventional reactive ion etching (ashing) of via structuresformed within a layer the diameter of via structures may be increased ina non-selective manner along an X-direction and Y-direction.

In the example of FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C etching may take place on surfacesof a select material where reactive species 122 are present as well asions 112. In particular, at least some of the reactive species 122 maybe neutrals where the reactive species may pass through the extractionaperture 132 while not having a particular directionality and mayimpinge upon various surfaces of the fourth layer 106 as well as thethird layer 106 within the hole 110. As discussed above, and inaccordance with various embodiments, the ions 112 may be restricted toimpinging on the sidewall 114, the top surface 124 of third layer 106,as well as the surface 126 of third layer 106. As regards surface 126,the ions 112 and reactive species 122 may be designed to selectivelyetch material of the fourth layer 106 with respect to the material ofthird layer 106, meaning the etch rate of fourth layer 106 differs fromthe etch rate of third layer 106. In one particular example fourth layer106 may be silicon oxide and third layer 106 may be silicon nitride.Accordingly, while ions 112 and reactive species 122 may impinge uponsurface 126, little or no etching of third layer 106 within hole 110 maytake place in the scenario of FIG. 1A to FIG. 1D. Accordingly, after afirst exposure to the ions 112 as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1C, thelayer 108 may exhibit a hole 110 elongated along the Y-axis, where thelayer thickness of fourth layer 106 is also reduced. In someembodiments, the fourth layer 106 may be removed in its entirety insubsequent processing. Thus, loss of thickness of fourth layer 106during the exposure to ions 112 may be acceptable, to the extentadequate thickness remains to pattern underlying layers, such as thirdlayer 106 in subsequent processing. Additionally, because material offourth layer 106 is removed by a reactive ion etching process, thematerial of fourth layer 106 once etched may remain volatilized and maynot redeposit on other surfaces of the device structure 100, such as inother regions of the hole 110.

FIG. 2A depicts a side view of processing of a device structure 200according to various embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 2C depicts atop plan view of the scenario of FIG. 2A. The device structure 200 mayinclude the first layer 102, second layer 104, third layer 106, and apillar structure, shown as pillar 202, disposed on the third layer 106.Although a single pillar structure is shown, in various embodiments, aplurality of pillar structures similar to the pillar 202 may be providedon the third layer 106. The pillar structures 202 may be disposed withinan additional layer including blanket regions disposed on the thirdlayer 106. These layers may also be disposed on the substrate 150. Thepillar 202 may be used to pattern a layer or layers disposed underneaththe fourth layer 106, such as first layer 102, second layer 104, orthird layer 106. This may be accomplished by forming a lower featuredisposed in on the first layer 102, second layer 104, or third layer 106by vertically etching the pillar 202 along the perpendicular 120.

Since the pillar 202 may be used to define device structure(s) inunderlying layers having similar dimensions to the pillar 202, precisecontrol of the dimensions of the pillar 202 may be useful. In variousembodiments, the dimension of the pillar 202 along the X-axis, Y-axis,and Z-axis may be on the order of nanometers or tens of nanometers. Insome instances, the pillar 202 may be formed using a known lithographyprocess. After the lithography process is complete the relativedimensions of the pillar 202 within the X-Y plane may be as shown inFIG. 2B, where the dimension along the Y-axis is larger than thedimension along the X-axis. As shown the pillar 202 has a rectangular,non-square shape in the X-Y plane. When a target shape for the pillar202 is square, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, ions204 may be directed to the pillar 202 as shown in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C.The ions 204 may be provided in a manner generally described above withrespect to FIGS. 1A and 1C, where the trajectory of ions 204 may beparallel to the Y-axis and may form a non-zero angle of incidence withrespect to the perpendicular 120, as shown by the angle θ. This mayensure the sidewall 206 is etched while the sidewalls 208 remainunetched. As a result, the dimension of the pillar 202 may beselectively reduced along the Y-axis while the dimension of the pillar202 along the X-axis remains the same. In the example of FIG. 2D theexposure to ions 204 may result in generating a square shape to thepillar 202 in the X-Y plane. Additionally, because the ions 204 areprovided in the presence of the reactive species 122, the ions 204 mayselectively etch the pillar 202 so as not to etch the third layer 106 orto etch the third layer 106 at a much lower rate than the rate ofetching of the pillar 202. In other embodiments an array of lines formedon a substrate where the width of the lines along a short direction ofthe lines is greater than a target linewidth. The array of lines may besubjected to one dimensional reactive ion etching where ions aredirected toward lines in a direction perpendicular to a long directionof the lines. This may selectively reduce the linewidth of the linesalong the short direction of the lines while not reducing the linelength, allowing for a close tip-to-tip spacing between adjacent lines,while generating the target linewidth.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D illustrate another example of one dimensionalreactive ion etching according to further embodiments of the disclosure.FIG. 3A depicts a side view of an initial state of a device structure300 according to various embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 3B depictsa top plan view of the scenario of FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C depicts a side viewof a final state of the device structure 300 after processing by ions asgenerally described above with respect to FIGS. 1A-2D. FIG. 3D depicts atop plan view of the scenario of FIG. 3C. In the initial state shown inFIGS. 3A-3B, the device structure 300 includes a substrate 150, firstlayer 302, second layer 304, third layer 306, and fourth layer 308. Apair of holes shown as the holes 310 are provided within the fourthlayer 308. The holes 310 may be provided as vias extending through theentirety of the fourth layer 308. The holes 310 may have a circularshape in the X-Y plane as shown. After processing with ions (not shownfor clarity) the dimension of the holes 310 may be selectively increasedalong the Y-axis while not being increased along the X-axis, as shown inFIGS. 3B and 3D.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B illustrate another example of one dimensionalreactive ion etching according to further embodiments of the disclosure.FIG. 4A depicts a side view of a final state of a device structure 400according to various embodiments of the disclosure after being subjectto a one dimensional reactive ion etching as described above withrespect to FIGS. 1A to 2D. FIG. 4B depicts a top plan view of thescenario of FIG. 4A. The device structure 400 includes a substrate 150,first layer 402, second layer 404, third layer 406, and fourth layer408. A pair of holes shown as the holes 410 are provided within thefourth layer 408. The holes 410 may be provided as vias extendingthrough the entirety of the fourth layer 408. For reference, an initialstate of the holes 410 may have a circular shape in the X-Y plane asshown, for example, at FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. In this embodiment,different from prior embodiments, the ions (not shown) may be directedalong a direction 412 forming a non-zero angle with respect to theY-axis and the X-axis, shown as the angle ϕ. In one example, this anglemay be 45 degrees, so the holes 410 assume an elliptical shape having along axis oriented at 45 degrees with respect to the X-axis or Y-axis.In the above manner an array of holes arranged along an X-Y grid may belengthened along any direction forming a target angle with respect tothe X-axis or Y-axis. According to different embodiments, this may beaccomplished by rotating a substrate about the Z-axis until the targetangle ϕ is formed.

In various embodiments, including variants of the aforementionedembodiments of FIGS. 1A to 4B, where a substrate may include a pluralityof layers, one dimensional reactive ion etching may be performed withinany layer. For example, referring again to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B,transferring the shape of the pillar 202 into the substrate 150 may be agoal. Accordingly, starting with the pillar 202 as shown in FIG. 2A,rather than performing one dimensional reactive ion etching on thepillar 202, a known vertical reactive ion etching process may beperformed wherein ions are directed along the Z-axis to transfer theshape and size of pillar 202 of FIG. 2A into the third layer 106.Subsequently, a pillar formed in third layer 106 having the shape andsize of the pillar 202 of FIG. 2A may be subject to one dimensionalreactive ion etching to generate a pillar within the third layer 106having the shape and size of the pillar 202 in FIG. 2B. This pillarwithin the third layer 106 may then be transferred by vertical reactiveion etching to the second layer 104, first layer 102, and finallysubstrate 150. Alternatively, beginning with the structure of FIG. 2A,third layer 106 and second layer 104 may be subject to vertical reactiveion etching, forming a pillar structure in second layer 104. The pillarstructure in second layer 104 may then be subject to one dimensionalreactive ion etching to form a pillar having the shape and size ofpillar 202 of FIG. 2B. Subsequently further vertical reactive ionetching may be performed to transfer the pillar of second layer 104 intofirst layer 102 and substrate 150; and so forth.

Likewise, in embodiments where one dimensional reactive ion etching isused to generate an elongated hole, the elongated hole may be formed inany given layer of a layer stack, while vertical etching is used to froma lower hole having the shape and size of the elongated hole in a layerdisposed underneath the elongated hole.

In further embodiments of the disclosure, one dimensional reactive ionetching may be performed using a pair of ion beams directed parallel toa common axis, such as the Y-axis. The pair of ion beams may form amirror image about the X-Z plane so the ion beams strike oppositesurfaces of a surface feature. For example, known plasma apparatus maybe employed to etch a surface feature, where the plasma apparatusprovide two parallel elongated apertures where ions are extracted from aplasma at an angle of incidence of +q and −q with respect to theperpendicular 120. Turning again to FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D, ions may bedirected along the Y-axis from the left of the figures to strike thesidewall 210, as well as sidewall 206. In this manner the pillar 202 maybe etched from opposite sides. In other embodiments, a similar proceduremay be employed to etch opposing sides of a hole.

FIGS. 5A to 5D depict another embodiment where one dimensional reactiveion etching may be used to generate an array of holes having a targetdimension. One issue encountered by known lithography techniques is theability to generate a target shape in a layer based upon mask shape.Proximity correction is often used to generate a mask having a differentshape than a target shape in a layer. FIG. 5A depicts a target shape502, in this case a rectangle, to be imparted into a layer on asubstrate. FIG. 5A also shows a proximity corrected mask feature, maskfeature 504, used to generate the target shape 502. The mask feature 504includes distal portions 508 creating a bone shape in the mask feature504. Additionally, the width D2 of the mask feature 504 is greater thanthe width D1 of the target shape. This difference is size and shapebetween the mask feature 504 and target shape 502 may be due to knownoptical effects. FIG. 5A further depicts a final shape 506 generated bythe mask feature 504, where the final shape 506 approximates the targetshape 502. In one example, the final shape 506 may be the shape of atrench patterned using the mask feature 504. As shown, the width of thefinal shape 506 may be D1 and may be less than the width D2 of the maskfeature 504.

By way of reference, in known processing approaches a problem may beencountered when an array of features is to be generated by proximitycorrection masks where the array of features is to be closely spaced.For example, because the width D1 exceeds the width D2, when proximitymask features 504 are placed adjacent one another a minimum spacingbetween adjacent features patterned by the proximity mask features isapproximately 2×(D2−D1). This issue is further illustrated in FIG. 5B.In FIG. 5B there is shown a proximity mask 510 including a twodimensional array of mask features 504. Two columns of mask features 504are shown where a mask feature 504 in the left column is disposedend-to-end adjacent a corresponding mask feature in the right column,also shown as mask feature 504. FIG. 5C illustrates a patterned layer520 having a plurality of trenches, where the patterned layer is formedusing the proximity mask 510. As illustrated, two columns of trenches522 are formed having a width D1 as discussed above. Because D1 is lessthan D2, a column within the same row (along the Y-axis) is separatedfrom an adjacent column by a separation 51, equal to approximately2×(D2−D1), assuming the mask features 504 of proximity mask 510 abut oneanother.

In some applications, the separation of trenches 522 as shown in FIG. 5Cmay exceed a design rule or a target separation, such as separation S2,discussed with respect to FIG. 5D. Known processing approaches to notprovide adequate solutions to address this problem. According to anembodiment of the disclosure, one dimensional reactive ion etching maybe used to selectively widen the trenches 522 along the Y-axis, whilenot widening the trenches along the X-axis. FIG. 5D illustrates anexample of a final structure of the patterned layer 520, generated byapplying one dimensional reactive ion etching as detailed above to thepatterned layer 520 of FIG. 5C. As shown, the trenches 522 now have awidth D3 greater than D1 and serves to generate a spacing S2 betweenadjacent trenches smaller than the spacing 51. In the above manner, thepresent embodiments provide closer packing of surface features such astrenches along a given direction while not unduly widening the trenchesalong a perpendicular direction.

In various additional embodiments, the length of a trench may belengthened symmetrically by providing ions directed to opposite ends ofthe trench, or may be lengthened along just one end or the other end byproviding ions directed just to the selected end of the trench. The sameapplies to other types of holes. In the case of symmetric lengthening ofa hole, a first ion exposure may be provided by an ion beam directed toa substrate such as a wafer, in order to etch a first end of a trench.The wafer may then be rotated 180 degrees for a second exposure to theion beam, where the second end of the trench is etched, while the ionbeam retains the same angle of incidence θ, between exposures.Alternatively, a pair of ion forming a mirror image about the X-Z planemay be provided in a single exposure so the ion beams strike oppositeends of a trench.

FIG. 6 illustrates a contact structure formed using one dimensionalreactive ion etching according to further embodiments of the disclosure.In FIG. 6 there is shown a top plan view of a device structure 600. Thedevice structure 600 may represent a source/drain (S/D) contactstructure of a transistor. In the example of FIG. 6 a source/drainregion 602 has a narrow shape, elongated along the Y-axis. FIG. 6 alsodepicts an array of contact holes, shown as contact vias 604, where thecontact vias 604 may include metallic contacts used to contact thesource/drain region 602. According to an embodiment of the disclosure,contact vias 606, initially formed in a patterning layer (not shown),may initially have a circular shape. The diameter of initial contactvias having a circular shape may be limited by the width D4 of thesource/drain region 602. Because of this, circular contacts formed usingthe contact vias 606 may have insufficient contact area to generate alow contact resistance to the source/drain region 602. Using onedimensional reactive ion etching to increase the size of contact viasalong the Y-axis, the contact vias 606 may be transformed into thecontact vias 604. As shown, the contact vias 604 have an ellipticalshape and an overall area greater than the contact vias 606.Additionally, because etching is performed by directing ions parallel tothe Y-axis, the contact vias 604 do not extend beyond the source/drainregion 602 along the X-axis.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B depict a further embodiment of the disclosure whereone dimensional reactive ion etching may be used to improve contacts ina memory structure. In FG. 7A there is shown a plan view of a memoryarray 702, including wordlines 708 running horizontally in the figure,and bitlines 710 running vertically. The memory array further includesbitline contacts 706 and storage node contacts 704. In the memory array702 active regions 716 elongated along a direction forming a non-zeroangle with respect to the vertical or horizontal directions. FIG. 8Bdepicts a close-up showing two active regions 716. Because contacts suchas the storage node contacts 704 may be formed using a different mask topattern a layer than a mask used to define the active regions 716,overlap and placement of the storage node contacts 704 may be a concern.FIG. 8B shows an outline of the shape of initial contact hole 712 formedby known lithographic patterning. The initial contact hole may beincreased in size in a selective manner by performing one dimensionalreactive ion etching according to embodiments of the disclosure. Forexample, ions (not shown) may be provided along the direction 720 toincrease the size of the initial contact hole 712, generating anelongated contact hole, shown as contact hole 714. The contact hole 714may increase area of the storage node contact 704, as well as increasingoverlap with the active region 716, while not increasing the size of theinitial contact hole 712 in a direction perpendicular to the direction720. This may ensure a given contact hole does not overlap with anadjacent active region. Accordingly, the one dimensional reactive ionetching of the initial contact holes 712 may generate lower contactresistance due to increased area, as well as corrections in misalignmentbetween initial contact holes 712 and active regions 716.

In further embodiments, one dimensional reactive ion etching may beemployed to reduce process complexity, including reducing the number ofmasks used to generate a given set of device structures. By way ofreference, in known processing approaches, especially for patterningsmall and closely packed structures having dimensions and separations onthe order of tens or nanometers or less, generating a given set ofdevice structures within a given level may entail using multiple masks.This is because a target spacing between features may be smaller thanthe spacing achievable by exposing a single mask. When features arespaced below a given separation on a given mask, the features may not beproperly imaged within a given resist layer. Accordingly, design rulesfor a mask may specify a threshold separation of mask features, ST, inorder to properly define the target features within a layer such asphotoresist. For example, for a mask to generate a dense array of localinterconnect features, a threshold separation may be 10 nm for a givenlithography tool, given resist layer. Once a threshold separation isspecified or determined, a given mask to pattern a layer may includemask features spaced apart by a distance at least ST. When a group ofdevice features is to be generated in a substrate at a given level, andthe target separation of at least some of the device features is smallerthan ST, the complete group of device features may be generated byexposing a layer to multiple masks where features produced by a firstmask may be interleaved with features produced by a second mask, whilethe separation between features in a given mask is not below ST. Inconventional processing a disadvantage of this approach is becausemultiple masks may be employed to generate device features within agiven level, adding to cost and complexity.

FIG. 8A illustrates a target device arrangement, shown in plan view asthe device arrangement 800. In some examples, the device arrangement 800may represent a local interconnect pattern formed on a given level of anintegrated circuit device. As illustrated the device arrangement 800includes an array of rectangles (or “lines”) where the size of lines anddistance between adjacent lines may vary. As further illustrated, thedistance between adjacent lines may be less than ST, as shown by thedistance S4 between two adjacent lines. Accordingly, the use of a singlemask to produce the device arrangement 800 may be difficult because ofthe proximity of adjacent lines. FIG. 8B shows an initial approach toaddress this issue by using three different masks to pattern differentgroups of lines, where the different groups of lines together constitutethe group of lines in the device arrangement 800. The three differentmasks are shown as mask 1, mask 2, and mask 3. Mask 1 may have, forexample, five lines mutually spaced from one another at distances atleast as great as ST. The lines may be spaced apart from one another bya distance greater than ST both along the X-axis and Y-axis. Mask 2 mayhave three lines while mask 3 also has three lines, where the lines arealso spaced apart from one another in a given mask so as to be greaterthan or equal to ST. The patterns of lines with the different masks aredisplaced from one another to generate the device arrangement 800.Accordingly, a line from one mask may be placed at a spacing less thanST from a line formed by another mask, since the lines are formed indifferent masks.

In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, the number of masksto generate the device arrangement 800 may be reduced by using onedimensional reactive ion etching. Turning now to FIG. 8C there is showna mask arrangement 820. The mask arrangement 820 includes a pattern oflines formed from two different masks, mask 4 and mask 5. The differentlines from the two different masks may be used to generate the devicearrangement 800 in the following manner. As illustrated, the lines inmask arrangement 820 are mutually spaced from one another as shown bythe arrows, where the tip-to-tip distance between adjacent lines withina given mask along the direction of the arrows is at least as large asST. The lines of the mask 4 may be interspersed with lines of mask 5 inorder to provide adequate spacing between adjacent lines within a givenmask perpendicular to the direction of the arrows. Accordingly, the maskarrangement 820 may be used by conventional lithography to generate apattern of trenches having a same shape, size, and separation of thelines of mask arrangement 820. This pattern of trenches may be generatedusing just two masks, mask 4 and mask 5. In order to generate a patternof trenches matching the device arrangement 800, the pattern of trenchesas represented by mask arrangement 820 may be subject to one dimensionalreactive ion etching where ions are directed along the direction of thearrows of FIG. 8C.

FIG. 8D shows an exemplary trench arrangement, designated as trencharrangement 830, where trenches having the initial structure of the maskarrangement 820 have been etched to increase their dimension along thedirection of the arrows. In this manner the final tip-to-tip spacingamong adjacent lines may be less than ST. The trench arrangement 830 maybe seen to match the device arrangement 800. Additionally, becauseetching does not take place in a direction perpendicular to the arrows,the width of the trenches may be preserved along the directionperpendicular to the arrows may be preserved. Accordingly, the number ofmasks used to generate the device arrangement 800 may be reduced bytaking advantage of the ability of one dimensional reactive ion etchingto decrease tip-to-tip separation of adjacent features. In addition todecreasing process complexity the reduction in number of masks helpsavoid overlay problems between different mask levels. For a givenoverlay error per mask, the reduction on the number of masks to generatea given pattern reduces the total overlay error, since the overlayerrors accumulate in an additive fashion between different masks.

In further embodiments, the number of mask sets used to generate a givenarrangement with a given level may be reduced from two to one masks, orfrom four to three masks. The embodiments are not limited in thiscontext. More generally, the present embodiments include a method offorming a first set of holes using a first lithography exposureemploying a first lithography mask, wherein at least two holes of thefirst set of holes are characterized by a final hole separation along afirst direction less than a threshold separation for features patternedin a first layer using the first lithography exposure. As noted above,this final hole separation may be reduced below the threshold separationby etching the holes using a one dimensional reactive ion etchingprocess as detailed above with respect to FIGS. 8A to 8D, for example.Additionally, in further embodiments, a method may involve employing asecond lithography mask in addition to the first lithography mask todefine a second set of holes in the first layer using a secondlithography exposure, where the second set of holes are interspersedwith the first set of holes. The second set of holes may becharacterized by a second final hole separation less than the thresholdseparation for features patterned in the first layer using the secondlithography exposure.

In additional embodiments one dimensional reactive ion etching may beapplied to an array of features such as lines, mesas, or pillarsextending above another layer. In some examples one dimensional reactiveion etching may be applied along one direction or along a pair ofdirections where the ions are directed along opposite directions whileparallel to an axis, such as the Y-axis of the aforementionedembodiments. In particular embodiments, one dimensional reactive ionetching may be applied to alter the length of lines, such as the lengthof lines in an array of lines. This may facilitate in adjusting thetip-to-tip spacing between adjacent lines in an array. FIG. 9A depicts atop plan view of an array of lines before processing. In this example,an array 906 of lines 904 is arranged on a substrate 902. The array 906may extend along the Z-axis above a layer of the substrate 902, as shownfor the pillar structures 202 of FIG. 2A. The array 906 is a twodimensional array where the lines 904 have neighbors along the X-axis aswell as along the Y-axis. The lines 904 have a relatively greaterdimension along the Y-axis and may be deemed to extend along the Y-axis.The lines 904 may be characterized by a tip-to-tip spacing, shown as thespacing S5. The array 906 may be formed by a lithographic process asdescribed above. The spacing S5 may differ from a target tip-to-tipspacing, designated as S6. In order to adjust the tip-to-tip spacing,ions may be directed in a one dimensional reactive ion etch according tothe present embodiments as detailed above. In one example, ions may bedirected along opposite trajectories with respect to the Y-axis, wherethe trajectories of the ions are parallel to the Y-axis. The iontrajectories may form a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to theperpendicular 120 (see FIG. 2A), so ends of the lines are impacted bythe ions.

FIG. 9B depicts a top plan view of the array of lines of FIG. 9A afterone dimensional reactive ion etching according to one embodiment. Inthis example, ions 908 are directed along one set of trajectoriesparallel to the Y-axis, as shown by the arrow directed to the right,while ions 910 are directed along a second set of trajectories parallelto the Y-axis, opposite the first set of trajectories, as shown by thearrow directed to the left. As illustrated, the tip-to-tip spacing ofthe lines 904 has been increased to a spacing S6, representing thetarget tip-to-tip spacing. Because the ions 910 and ions 908 aredirected to the lines 904 along opposite trajectories, opposite tips oflines 904 may be etched equally. As shown in FIG. 9A the left column oflines 904 initially has right tips at position P0, while the rightcolumn of lines 904 initially has left tips at position P1. Afteretching according to the scenario of FIG. 9B, the left column of lines904 has right tips at position P2, shifted to the left along the Y-axiswith respect to P0, while the right column of lines 904 has left tips atposition P3, shifted to the right along the Y-axis with respect to P1.In this manner, an array 916 of the lines 904 is created, where thetip-to-tip spacing between adjacent lines along the Y-axis is adjustedin a symmetrical manner with respect to the array 906.

FIG. 9C depicts a top plan view of the array of lines of FIG. 9A afterone dimensional reactive ion etching according to another embodiment. Inthis example, just the ions 910 are directed along the second set oftrajectories parallel to the Y-axis. As illustrated, the tip-to-tipspacing of the lines 904 has also been increased to a spacing S6,representing the target tip-to-tip spacing. Because just the ions 910are directed to the right tips of lines 904, just the right tips oflines 904 may be etched, while the left tips of the lines 904 remainunetched. After etching according to the scenario of FIG. 9C, the leftcolumn of lines 904 has right tips at position P4, shifted to the leftalong the Y-axis with respect to P0, while the right column of lines 904has left tips at position P1, remaining unshifted with respect to theoriginal position of the left tips of right column of lines 904. In thismanner, an array 926 of the lines 904 is created, where the tip-to-tipspacing between adjacent lines along the Y-axis is adjusted in anasymmetrical manner with respect to the array 906. This latter scenarioof FIG. 9C may be useful in circumstances where the average position ofa whole group of features is to be shifted while also adjusting thespacing between features.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary process flow 1000. At block 1002, providinga surface feature on substrate takes place, where the surface featurehas a first dimension along a first direction and a second dimensionalong a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Thesurface feature may be, for example, a line, a pillar, a mesa, a hole orother feature. At block 1004 directing first ions in a first exposure tothe surface feature takes place along a first direction at a non-zeroangle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a substrate plane.The directing of the first ions takes place in the presence of areactive ambient containing reactive species, wherein after thedirecting, the surface feature retains the second dimension along thesecond direction, and wherein surface feature has a third dimensionalong the first direction different than the first dimension.

The present embodiments provide various advantages over conventionalprocessing to define features in a substrate. One advantage lies in theability to perform one dimensional trimming of a surface feature where afirst dimension of a second dimension of a surface feature perpendicularto the first dimension. For example, a width of a line may be reducedwhile not reducing a length of the line. Another advantage is theability to reduce spacing between adjacent features below the spacingachieved by known lithography processes. An example of this ability isthe reduction of tip-to-tip separation between adjacent trenches such ascontact trenches. A further advantage is the ability to reduce thenumber of masks used to generate a pattern of features, where thefeatures may be separated by a distance less than the thresholdseparation achievable by a single mask. This reducing the number ofmasks has the further advantageous effect of reducing overlay error forprinting the pattern of features.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by the specificembodiments described herein. Indeed, other various embodiments of andmodifications to the present disclosure, in addition to those describedherein, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from theforegoing description and accompanying drawings. Thus, such otherembodiments and modifications are in the tended to fall within the scopeof the present disclosure. Furthermore, the present disclosure has beendescribed herein in the context of a particular implementation in aparticular environment for a particular purpose, while those of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize the usefulness is not limited theretoand the present disclosure may be beneficially implemented in any numberof environments for any number of purposes. Thus, the claims set forthbelow are to be construed in view of the full breadth and spirit of thepresent disclosure as described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of patterning a substrate, comprising:providing a layer on a substrate, the layer comprising a set of holes,having a first spacing between adjacent holes of the set of holes; anddirecting first ions in a first exposure to the layer along atrajectory, the trajectory forming a non-zero angle of incidence withrespect to a perpendicular to a substrate plane, wherein the trajectoryis aligned along a first direction within the plane of the substrate,the first exposure comprising a reactive ion etch, wherein the set ofholes are selectively etched along the first direction with respect to asecond direction, perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein,after the first exposure, the set of holes are characterized by a secondspacing along the first direction, less than the first spacing.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the layer comprises a first layer, whereinthe first layer is disposed on a second layer, the first layercomprising a first material, the second layer comprising a secondmaterial, wherein the second layer is a continuous layer or asemi-continuous layer.
 3. The method of claim 2, comprising: after thefirst exposure, performing an etch to transfer the set of holes into thesecond layer, wherein the etch takes place in a vertical direction alongthe perpendicular to the plane of the substrate.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the first ions form a ribbon beam having a long axis parallelto the second direction and a short axis parallel to the firstdirection.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trajectory comprises afirst trajectory, wherein the first exposure further comprises directingsecond ions to the surface feature along a second trajectory, oppositethe first trajectory, at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect tothe perpendicular.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of holescomprise a set of contact holes in a memory array.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the set of holes are not etched along the seconddirection.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of holes comprisesan array of trenches.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the array oftrenches are not etched along the second direction.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the array of trenches comprises a first position beforethe first exposure, and a second position after the first exposure,shifted along the first direction with respect to the first position.11. The method of claim 8, wherein the trajectory comprises a firsttrajectory, wherein the first exposure further comprises directingsecond ions to the surface feature along a second trajectory, oppositethe first trajectory, at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect tothe perpendicular, wherein a position of the array of trenches is notshifted by the first exposure.
 12. A method of patterning a substrate,comprising: providing a first layer directly on a second layer in thesubstrate, the first layer having at least one hole, the second layercomprising a continuous layer or a semicontinuous layer; and directingfirst ions in a first exposure to the layer along a trajectory, thetrajectory forming a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to aperpendicular to the substrate plane, wherein the trajectory is alignedalong a first direction, wherein the first exposure comprises a reactiveion etch, the reactive ion etch configured to selectively etch the firstlayer with respect to the second layer, wherein the at least one hole isselectively etched along the first direction with respect to a seconddirection, perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the firstexposure increases a first hole dimension of the at least one hole byetching the at least one hole along the first direction.
 13. The methodof claim 12, wherein the first ions form a ribbon beam having a longaxis parallel to the second direction and a short axis parallel to thefirst direction.
 14. The method of claim 12, comprising: after the firstexposure, performing an etch to transfer the at least one hole into thesecond layer, wherein the etch takes place in a vertical direction alongthe perpendicular to the plane of the substrate.
 15. The method of claim12, wherein the trajectory comprises a first trajectory, wherein thefirst exposure further comprises directing second ions to the surfacefeature along a second trajectory, opposite the first trajectory, at anon-zero angle of incidence with respect to the perpendicular.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the at least one hole comprises a set ofcontact holes in a memory array.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein theat least one hole comprises an array of trenches, wherein, before thefirst exposure, the array of trenches are characterized by a firstspacing, wherein, after the first exposure, the array of trenches areetched along the first direction and are characterized by a secondspacing along the first direction, less than the first spacing.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the array of trenches are not etched along asecond direction, perpendicular to the first direction.
 19. The methodof claim 17, wherein the array of trenches comprises a first positionbefore the first exposure, and a second position after the firstexposure, shifted along the first direction with respect to the firstposition.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the trajectory comprises afirst trajectory, wherein the first exposure further comprises directingsecond ions to the surface feature along a second trajectory, oppositethe first trajectory, at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect tothe perpendicular, wherein a position of the array of trenches is notshifted by the first exposure.